Sindhu Darshan Festival 2015

Sindhu Darshan Festival Dates

The Sindhu Darshan Festival is organised annually on the banks of the River Sindhu, at Shey Manla in Leh. Celebrated on the full moon night of Guru Poornima in the month of June, the festival is an effort to promote unity and communal harmony in the country.

The Sindhu Darshan Festival is an iconic gesture to the brave soldiers of the country, who endanger their lives to save ours. This three-day long festival represents River Sindhu as a symbol of diverse cultural identities and peaceful co-existence in India. The Sindhu Darshan Festival is a perfect occasion for people who live in far-off regions to visit and witness the picturesque beauty of Leh and Ladakh.

River Sindhu is considered to be sacred as it originates from the holy Lake Mansarovar and people all across the country visit the place to catch a glimpse of the holy river and make offerings. Traditionally, people bring water from the river of their region in clay pots and immerse them into the Sindhu River, thereby merging the river water with other waters of the land, symbolising the assorted cultural identity of the country.

The celebrations of The Sindhu Darshan Festival include traditional ceremonies involving Buddhist prayers by senior Lamas, which commence the festival. A series of cultural programs and performances by artists from various parts of the country follows. Many sightseeing tours including the ‘Sindhu Yatra’ are also organised during this time.

How to reach the festival

The Sindhu Darshan Festival is held on the banks of River Sindhu at Shey Manla, which is 8kms away from Leh, Ladakh. You can take a flight to Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport and further board a local bus or hire a taxi to Shey Manla. Leh does not have a railhead, in fact Chandigarh and Pathankot, the nearest railway stations have a poor connectivity to Leh. If you are planning to drive, Leh is 434 kms away from Srinagar and 473kms from Manali. Transport within the Leh Valley is mainly by buses, taxis or motorcycle.